Woke row on ‘racist’ pub name

A ROW has broken out over the renaming of a 17th century pub called the Black Bitch Tavern over its supposed racist connotations.

Locals are threatening to boycott the pub if brewery bosses get their way and change it to The Black Hound – condemning the move as an example of ‘wokery’.

They say the Black Bitch name comes from local legend, and is simply a description of a fabled female dog.

But owners Greene King say many would no longer feel welcome in a pub with the name, and its move is part of a ‘commitment to being an anti-racist organisation’.

The pub in Linlithgow, west of Edinburgh, got its name from the story of a man sentenced to die on a loch island but kept alive by his faithful hound, who brought him food every day. The town’s coat of arms features the dog, there are statues in her honour, and locals even proudly call themselves ‘black bitches’.

A petition demanding the old name is kept already has 600 signatures.

Pub regular Davie Paterson, 52, said: ‘It’s daft – you just need to check the history of the town to see it is not offensive. It is a black, female dog, it’s got nothing to do with race or slavery.’ SNP councillor David Tait said: ‘It is a ludicrous proposal made in a faraway place by people with no knowledge of the locality.’

Greene King chief Nick Mackenzie said: ‘We are well aware where the name originates and so we are choosing a new name that still reflects the pub’s history and will look to retain the coat of arms and images on the pub’s sign.’